4 takeaways from the Rams' crushing Week 14 loss to the Eagles

The Los Angeles Rams lost a rollercoaster game to the Eagles on Sunday, falling by a score of 43-35. The game was much closer than the score indicated after the Eagles returned the Rams’ last-ditch effort on the final play for a touchdown, giving them an eight-point win.

The loss obviously hurts, but it’s certainly not the end of the world for the Rams. They still hold a one-game lead in the NFC West and could still earn a home playoff game in the first round.

Here are our four biggest takeaways from Sunday’s loss.

This team is built for a championship run

(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

If there were any doubts about the Rams’ chances to go deep into the playoffs before this game, there shouldn’t be anymore. Los Angeles showed it’s very capable of not only making it to the second or third round of the postseason, but potentially winning the Super Bowl.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The Rams are as good as any team in the NFL, which showed against the Eagles on Sunday. There isn’t a single team in football that the Rams don’t have a good chance to beat, which is a positive change from the past 14 years or so.

Despite the loss, the Rams are legit and will contend for a Super Bowl in the NFC.

The secondary is filled with playmakers

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When healthy, the Rams’ secondary is loaded. Trumaine Johnson is getting better by the week, while John Johnson and Lamarcus Joyner are really meshing at safety. Nickell Robey-Coleman is among the best nickel corners, too, playing well in coverage and as a tackler in the open field.

Unfortunately, the secondary simply isn’t healthy right now. Johnson has a concussion, while Kayvon Webster has an ankle or Achilles injury. The Rams were able to overcome those two guys going out on Sunday, but if they’re not back relatively soon, the secondary will definitely be tested.

Regardless of who’s playing, though, the defensive backs are aggressive. John Johnson is a heat-seeking missile in the middle of the field, while Joyner and Robey-Coleman are as sure of tacklers as there are in the NFL. It’s no surprise they had 10 passes defensed as a team Sunday.

Todd Gurley still needs more touches

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No matter how many touches Gurley gets, he needs more. Well, not exactly, but Sean McVay does need to do a better job of getting him involved. It seems like every time he touches the ball consistently, good things happen.

He only carried it 13 times on Sunday, but he finished with 96 yards and two touchdowns. He also had three catches for 39 yards, giving him 135 yards on just 16 touches. Sure, the Rams only had 44 plays on offense and the Eagles’ run defense is the best in the NFL, but Gurley can do anything on the field and always provides a spark for the offense.

It’s not as if McVay is taking him off the field, either. He always plays at least 95 percent of the snaps, he just hasn’t been carrying the ball much. He hasn’t had more than 19 rushing attempts since Week 7.

Jared Goff has to be better in crunch time

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There are four quarters in a football game (shocking, right?), but quarterbacks are often viewed by their success in the last one. When it comes to Goff, he’s not very good in the fourth quarter, and there’s simply no way around that.

Entering Week 14, his passer rating was just 75.4 in the final 15 minutes with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He didn’t help himself on Sunday by losing a fumble in the final 10 minutes to give the Eagles great field position and a game-winning field goal.

He simply didn’t make enough plays when the game was on the line, and while Philly’s defense is absolutely dominant, Goff had some opportunities. He still has zero fourth-quarter comebacks in his NFL career, which is something that will be tested down the stretch.

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